The Geomagician

by Jennifer Mandula

When a Victorian fossil hunter discovers a baby pterodactyl, she vows to protect him, with the help of a fellow scholar—her former fiancé—in this enchanting and transporting historical fantasy.

“Scholarly and clever but still full of heart . . . Five baby pterodactyls out of five.”—Heather Fawcett, New York Times bestselling author of the Emily Wilde series

Mary Anning wants to be a geomagician—a paleontologist who uses fossils to wield magic—but since the Geomagical Society of London refuses to admit women, she’s stuck selling her discoveries to tourists instead. Then an ancient egg hatches in her hands, revealing a lovable baby pterodactyl that Mary names Ajax, and she knows that this is a scientific find that could make her career—if she’s strategic.

But when Mary contacts the Society about her discovery, they demand to take possession of Ajax. Their emissary is none other than Henry Stanton, a distinguished (and infuriatingly handsome) scholar . . . and the man who once broke Mary’s heart. She knows she can’t trust her fellow scholars, who want to discredit her and claim Ajax for their own, but Henry insists he believes in the brilliant Mary and only wants to help her obtain the respect she deserves.

Now Mary has a new mystery to solve that’s buried deeper than any dinosaur She must uncover the secrets behind the Society and the truth about Henry. As her conscience begins to chafe against her ambition, Mary must decide what lengths she’s willing to go to finally belong—and what her heart really wants.

“Mary Anning, magic, politics, and a pterodactyl—with this intriguing mix, this delightful and clever book provides definitive proof that Victorian England needed more dinosaurs!”—Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop

Book One of The Geomagician Duology

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Historical, Adult, Fiction, Historical Fantasy

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 31, 2026

Reviews

[yuvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

well, is anyone surprised by the rating?🤭🤭

ONE THING, THO:
WHERE WERE THE DINOSAURS!?😭😭😭
Y'ALL PLEASE NOTE THAT PTERODACTYLS WERE NOT DINOSAURS😭😭😭 (NEITHER WERE PLESIOSAURUS AND ICHTHYOSAUR (did i spell that right?😭) FOR THAT MATTER)


well, despite that, i absolutely adored this book.
This had such a unique and interesting premise (so much so, that i was afraid that it sounded too good to be true) but oh, did it deliver!
while the writing was not PHENOMENAL, it was still well written, and it completely hooked me from the start! i was so invested from chapter 1.

Ajax and Mary's bond tugged at my heartstrings (I would've liked to see more of Ajax!) ngl, i want a baby pterodactyl of my own too 😭😭


however, i don't think that this book is for everyone, cs the main focus is on politics, fossil research, and faith( i was so surprised by the latter). While i enjoyed every moment of it, i get why some might find it repetitive or even boring.


i noticed that the blurb hints at a romantic subplot, but if you're here for the romance, then i'm afraid that you'll be slightly disappointed bc henry was a side character-at most.
like, there is some romance, but it's not the main focus of the book.
(tbh, i couldn't care less if there had been no romance at all either. i was reading it only for ajax). but, it was cute. Henry is a likeable character-
Mary did get on my nerves quite a few times, but it's okay.by the end, she kinda grew on me.

The unique premise and the execution of it all completely caught me off guard, so much so, that I was so surprised when I got to know that this is Jennifer Mandula's debut!
suffice to say, I WILL read the second book the SECOND it comes out🥹

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dinosaurs, magic, mystery, and a splash of romance in a victorian setting with a headstrong FMC and baby pterodactyl.

This book had me at dinosaurs, and I stuck around for the mystery, magic, and romance!

Overall I had a really good time with this book and I definitely think it satisfied my need for a dinosaur book. I went in expecting a historical romance with magical elements based on the synopsis emphasis on Henry - but really this book reads closer to women’s fiction with a romance subplot. I think if you dive in with that in mind you’ll have a good time with this one!

What’s to love…
- Surprisingly easy to binge for its length!
- swoony romantic subplot
- lies and secrets
- shocking reveals
- MAGIC!
- DINOSAURS!
- Victorian setting
- Themes of self-discovery and acceptance and faith

What’s not to love…
- I wanted more romance! What we got was top notch in tension & banter but we didn’t get nearly enough!
- ending felt a bit rushed

Parting Thoughts:

This book leans in heavily to the theme of (christian) faith with the magic in the world being contributed as a gift god and the overall message that faith and science can coexist. I can certainly appreciate the overall message, but without any marketing or information in the synopsis to forewarn me I was about to dive into a faith heavy book — I was a bit caught off guard.

4.25⭐️| IG | TikTok |

Thank you Del Rey for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.75/5

The Geomagician knocked it out of the park with the premise. This is a Victorian fantasy centering around Mary Anning, a talented magical paleontologist with hopes of being inducted into the exclusively male Geomagical Society of London. When she finds a fossilized pterodactyl egg that magically hatches and comes to life, she's thrust into the world she's always dreamed of, but soon unearths secrets and corruption that could change the world.

The way Mandula takes advantage of the magical elements of this story is its biggest strength. Magic isn't just shoehorned into an otherwise ordinary depiction of London; it's a powerful tool that affects the characters' perspectives on history, politics, and theology, and reflects the real-world social issues of the Industrial Revolution. My only complaint is that it seemed like the rules and specifics of how the magic system worked were a little glossed over and difficult to understand, despite the strong execution of the big picture.

Throughout the book, Mary's alliances shift frequently as she tries to figure out who wants to help her and who wants to take advantage of her achievements. Most of the characters (including herself) act in a morally gray area, convincing themselves they're doing what's best for both The Society and society at large, and I appreciated that for the most part, there wasn't necessarily a "good guy" or "bad guy" to blame. With that in mind (and without giving too much away), I think some elements of the ending seemed a little cartoonish and over the top, and weren't quite treated with the same nuance as the rest of the story.

Naturally, I can't end this review without mentioning the sweet relationship between Mary and her emotional support pterodactyl Ajax; animal companions are my weakness in any fantasy, and this duo is no exception!

Overall, this is a strong debut from Jennifer Mandula, and I look forward to reading the conclusion of this duology.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Beka]

One thing you may not know about me—I love dinosaurs. So dinosaurs in a historical fantasy romance? GIMME.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

STOP?!? DINOSAURS 🦕 🦖 I. AM. SAT!

3.75*

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc of my most anticipated 2026 release!

I like to think I am wholeheartedly at fault for this not getting 5 stars. I heard dinosaurs and immediately went feral and assumed I would be getting an adventurous book of scholars and dinosaurs in plenty.

Unfortunately, this book did lack the hoped amount of dinosaurs (there do be a few, dw!).

For the first 25% of this book, I was convinced that this was gonna be 5 stars and my favourite book of 2026!

But then it became so incredibly repetitive with the dialogue and Mary’s inner thoughts. I would go days without picking it up, and yet would not worry about forgetting anything because i knew it would be repeated in the next chapter anyway. The conversations about magic, fossils, and church and state just because so redundant I lowkey wanted to just give up at certain points.

This was not helped along with the fact that the book features an unlikeable fmc, whose only redeeming quality was her conviction to become more than her gender deemed she should, but even this was so egotistical and selfcentered.

The chemistry between Mary and Henry seemed a bit lackluster at times and I truly did not feel the desired amount of passion between the two to warrant a qualification as a ‘romance’.

Overall, the storyline was driven forward mostly by the political aspects presented in this book to a point where it mostly overshadowed everything else that I was looking forward to unearth on this journey along with Mary.

Enjoyable read, the last 5% of the book did drag up my rating from a mediocre 3* to a 3.75*.

Will be reading the second one, as I do believe after the establishing of society in the first book, the second might delve more into the aspects of what I did enjoy about The Geomagician.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very nearly didn't pick this up, because practically all of the existing reviews were about how excited the reviewer felt, more than about the book itself, and that's usually a sign that it's not for me. But I took the risk, and I'm glad of it. It has sound emotional beats, and more thought has gone into it than is often the case with period fantasy, particularly about the social impact of technology - a huge factor in the real 19th century - and the role of religion, which also features in a way largely realistic for the period. (Taking into account that this isn't exactly our world, where nobody would have been under threat of execution for heresy in early 19th century Britain.) It isn't just set in a scenery-flats-and-costumes version of 19th-century Britain for the sake of the aesthetic; it uses real concerns of the period, and the speculative element, to drive the plot, which is what worldbuilding should do. I will say, though, that relationships between individual men and women (as opposed to men in general and women in general) feel more 21st-century than 19th-century.

It's set in 1829, which in our world was after the former Prince Regent had succeeded his father as king, but before Victoria. The name of the monarch isn't mentioned, but it's a queen, not a king. I'm choosing to believe that this isn't the author starting the Victorian era eight years earlier by accident, but instead part of the difference from our version of history. This England does have a similar technology level and a similar society to the England of our 1829.

The fantasy element is that everyone has at least a small amount of magic, which can be concentrated into "reliqs" and then used by them or someone else to do useful things, like create light or heat, or clean things, or separate different substances, or heal. Fossils, for some reason, make particularly good reliqs, and the main character and narrator, Mary Anning, is a fossil hunter from Lyme Regis (based on an actual historical figure, I was surprised to discover in the afterword, as are several other characters). She has, through the support of a "geomagician" named Buckland - who studies fossils, and buys them from her - received some informal training in paleontology, taught herself a lot more, and become very knowledgeable, and she now wants to become the first female member of the Society of Geomagicians. To do this, though, will involve a lot of politics, complicated by the fact that her mentor and her ex-sweetheart are rivals for the presidency of the Society.

The ex-sweetheart, Henry, who gradually and quietly ghosted her while he was away being educated, is wealthy and initially comes off as arrogant and untrustworthy, seen through Mary's eyes at least. They were both friends as teenagers with a brother and sister, of whom the brother, Edgar, is now a viscount and in the House of Lords, while the sister, Lucy, is a witch (someone who can work magic without a reliq), also living in Lyme Regis; Mary's best friend; and heavily involved in the Prometheans, who oppose the whole system of people selling their magic for others' use as being contrary to human dignity. The four are still friends and allies to varying degrees, apart from the fact that Mary now can't stand Henry.

All of this supplies plenty of potential for conflict, and when Mary, on one of her fossil expeditions, brings a pterodactyl egg to life and it hatches, it precipitates a sequence of events starting with Mary's mentor Buckland and Henry coming on behalf of the Society to buy the creature. Mary demands nomination to the Society as part of the price, and they all head to London, where there are political, scientific, religious and social conflicts aplenty. Not to mention that Henry takes Mary on as his assistant, and they start secretly studying her ability to bring fossils to life - secretly, because it's theologically fraught, and she could, at least in theory, be executed if things turn the wrong way.

The book raises some important questions. If the system works in a way that disadvantages you and people like you, is it better to try to force your way into it - and end up beholden to people who benefit from it and who you had to ally with in order to get in, and also benefiting from it yourself - or to work against it from outside, perhaps having to ally with people who want to tear it down, have nothing to put in its place, and are fully prepared to do harm, even to the people they supposedly support, in order to bring about change? What's more, should you sacrifice a place you've earned in order to open the way in the future for others like yourself? Is it right to suppress the truth or actively mislead others in the cause of self-preservation or a greater good? There are no easy answers given here; it's not setting out to resolve those questions, but to explore them, and show how struggling with them impacts people, especially people who respect or love each other but disagree on important points.

On the downside, it has the usual level of Americanisms (such as "fall" for "autumn" or "a few blocks away"), anachronisms ("boycott" - the term originated in 1880; "psychological break"; "workstation"), and malapropisms (most frequently "clamored" for "clambered," but also "toothsome" to mean "toothy" when it actually means "appetizing") that I generally see in books by 21st-century Americans set in 19th-century Britain. Also several of the other common mistakes that practically everyone makes, like frequently putting commas between adjectives that aren't coordinate, putting the apostrophe in the wrong place when referring to a family's home by the name of the family ("the Buckland's" where it should be "Bucklands'"), and sometimes (though not nearly as often as many writers) writing in the simple past tense when it should be past perfect. Also, practically every hyphen in the book is between an adjective and the noun it modifies, which is a place no hyphen should be.

There are a couple of outright cultural errors, too, like treating "pence" as if it was singular and referring to a member of the House of Lords as a "Member of Parliament," a term that only applies to the Commons. It needs another go-through by a really good copy editor, in other words, and perhaps, given that I saw a pre-publication version via Netgalley and this is a major publisher (Penguin Random House), it will get one - though that's never guaranteed. Also, the author gives a long list of people who I take to be beta readers at the end, and thanks two editors (though they might not be copy editors), and it has got this far with these issues uncorrected.

While all of that annoyed me, it was still better edited than average (the average is quite low), and the story itself was a big step above that again. If you enjoy period fantasy set in Britain, and can set aside, or don't notice, the occasional anachronism or Americanism, and especially if you appreciate a narrative that takes actual concerns of the period and makes them central to the plot, this is probably for you. I hovered between assigning it to the Gold or Silver tier of my annual Best of the Year, because of the editing; in the end, I gave it the benefit of the doubt that the more significant errors would be fixed by publication, and, considering the depth and complexity of the story and its relationship to the premise and setting, put it in Gold.

[Lotta Z (Not active due to sickness) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for this ARC! All thoughts are my own!

I really wanted to read this book! I really wanted to like this book! Let’s start there!

The premise looked so exciting to me! Mary Anning, a palaeontologist, who makes a discovery of a pterodactyl egg that magically hatches and comes to life seeks to join the Geomagical Society of London - which due to the Victorian fantasy setting of the book - is currently failing to admit women to the society. Mary, quite rightly too, is working hard at her studies and collecting all the fossils she can to save herself from destitution and to aid her in gaining admission to the Society.

The story looked good. Check ✅
The vibes were vibing. Check ✅
It was being portrayed as a historical fantasy romance. Check ✅

All systems gooooo!!!

BUT ..... this fell completely flat for me! My attention was not grabbed. The book’s setting did not feel Victorian to me. The book did not have the epic dinosaur moments that I wanted. The plot was unexciting. There were so many interesting things that could have happened due to the amazing premise and plot setting … and yet nothing great happened.

AND what really irritated me about the FMC was that she thought she had so many friends in this story … She really does not! None of the side characters in this book are really her friends. They would not have left her living like that if they were! They knew she was struggling and facing destitution and possible prostitution as well! I did not like a single character in this book. Even the cute pterodactyl could not save this story for me.

Plus, don’t even get me started on the NOT romance situation going on with the FMC. What an earth was that rubbish?

Just for full transparency I did not finish this book. This book was a DNF at around 200 pages. The life began to fade from my eyes at that point so I decided to stop for my own wellbeing.

Something else that I did not understand from the author is why the lesbian relationship was added between two of the side characters. My viewpoint on this is that it did not suit the Victorian vibes at all, and also, the relationship as far as I can see did not serve the plot in any meaningful way. It was actually quite jarring to the views and points that the author was substantiating in the story. The gist of it being that women in this society had no social standing without a husband/father/brother. This pulled me out of the story completely and made me question how these two women were now going to function in this society? The FMC was barely - just barely - surviving as a single woman and she was incredibly gifted. These other two were both from affluent backgrounds and would have no idea how society would turn on them and outcast them it seems. The FMC was isolated from her single status and parts of society were made unattainable for her due to the fact of her being a woman. I don’t know, this just didn’t sit well with me in this story. It did not fit the vibe, time period, or plot, and there was no signposting that this was going to be included in the text either. I feel like the author was struggling to deliver on the initial premise as it is and this additional anomaly just raised too many other questions for me that pulled me out of the story.

I can see from other reviewers that they have enjoyed this book. Unfortunately, I cannot understand their viewpoints as this was completely not to my tastes.

Just a side note: Others have also mentioned this is a faith-heavy book ... fear not! There is nothing relating to real faith in this book. The faith in this book is as fictitious as all the relationships, plots and setting points.

Thanks for reading!

[mj]

this cover ?? this plot ?? give it ??

[✨ tweety ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded to 4

The Geomagician is a novel about the life of paleontologist Mary Anning, the first female fossil hunter of the XIX century. The story mixes fiction with reality, so a few things from her biography have been edited or removed to suit the narration.

The story is set in Lyme Regis, the real place where the real Anning lived and made her discoveries. But back to the Mary Anning of The Geomagician... she is having a hard time because even though she finds a lot of interesting fossils that she sells to tourists and scientists alike to study, she is not happy. Her desire is to get into the Society of Geomagicians, where she could work full time to research her fossils. The chance presents itself when she finds an egg of a pterodactyl... but it won't be easy.

I liked the story enough, even though at times I found it predictable. I liked the fantasy spin added to the story and how it mixed with the reality of the time. The romance was more of a subplot but I was okay with that. What made me give 4 stars instead of 5 was that the ending seemed rushed a bit.

All in all, a delightful read!

Thanks to the publisher for letting me read an ARC.

[justine ⊹ ࣪ ˖]

update : arc request approved someone hug me 🥹💕

[Val~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy of The Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula, to be published on March 31st, 2026. This book has a compelling premise that the author develops in a very interesting way; a magic system that not only shows geomagicians, but also witches, sorcery, and of course, Ajax! This is a speculative fiction book mostly in an academic setting, with plot twists that change the course of events in spellbinding ways. There's also a bit of romance, but it's not the main focus. You'll find beautiful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter too.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a more cozy dinosaur magic romance with a paleontology focus.

The Geomagician is actually a discourse on Christianity vs science. In this book science is synonymous with magic. Hand in hand. I’m on the side of science so that wasn’t a problem. The problem was that it was 450 pages of people arguing their side and being unlikeable. And their arguments were not persuasive. None of the characters were likeable during this long shouting match. Except for Elizabeth, who is a side character. I wanted to see Mary standing up for herself and other women sooo much more.

I did like that it was a unique premise and I’ll always pick up a book featuring pterodactyls. If you like fossils and fantasy this still may be the book for you, it just wasn't the book for me.

(Also why does the description say Mary is actively trying to solve a mystery? All she’s trying to do is get into the Geomagcian society. I wish she had been more like a detective. The “mystery” solutions are just handed to her by men.)

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Holli D.W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary is a Victorian era fossil hunter and scholar who runs a small shop selling fossils to pay the bills, but dreams of becoming a Geomagician. One day she unearths a pterodactyl fossil that includes a nest of preserved eggs.
This sets things into motion and soon Mary is on her way to London and enters a world she’s only ever dreamed of.
This book has just the right amount of Victorian society vibes, “nerdy” science talk, ancient reptile fossils, witches, magic, sorcery, love, and betrayal.

Thank you NetGalley, and Del Rey, Random house worlds, Inklore for the chance to read this Advance reader copy.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for granting me this ARC.

Quite frankly, I saw fossils and magic and immediately knew I had to read this book. The magic system is so interesting, not to mention having it exist in harmony with religion. I admit I'm not the biggest fan of how much religion played into this book but I do acknowledge it was probably apropos for the time period. I went in thinking I'd be in for a fun, magical romp with dinosaurs (or at least a pterodactyl) which I did get, for a bit, but then we really focused in on social issues - poverty, discrimination, feminist issues, etc., and it got my blood boiling (with the characters) and heart twisting (if any harm befalls Ajax I swear to all the gods...) through it all.

This book hasn't even officially been published yet and I already need the sequel.

[Kaja Makowska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscent of A Natural History of Dragons and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, this novel is a lovely cosy fantasy with some high stakes, tackling the links between history, politics and magic. If you are looking for a gripping read with a victorian background and a badass female lead, definitely pick it up!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc.

[Nico bookreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
What can I say? the book is amazing, it travels the story of Mary Anning and her love of fossils in a world that is not quite our own but has some heavy similarities with this one, we can see a very career centered woman discover there is more to life than surviving and being respected, which is honestly the dream of every academic on the field, but we see her discover the strength and power of friendship, of knowing our own hearts and eventually even become more than just a common scholar.
I saw in this book many things that might not be suitable for everyone like the technicalities of dinosaur fossils, and the hyperfocal interest/genius of research, we also have a glimpse into a field trip of the paleontologist, the long and difficult grieving of parents, with all the kinds of friendship, romantic and career relationships, strange and entangled magic, career driven life, and mentorship, did I mention Dinosaurs? well some very interesting companions of the witches!
I adored everything and I also love Mary, for having evolved beyond what even she believed possible in the first s chapters, for her impressive journey and for never abandoning Ajax even through the hardest part, I believe in Henry and gods I can't even explain how much I love Lucy! I too believe that friendship is a whole experience utterly unpredictable, and the whole academic world in the book would cause me to live in defiance.
Thank you author, I really enjoyed this read and couldn't stop reading.

[anjaRUok · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️

i'm a little torn between 3,5 and 4 stars but ultimately decided to round down because overall this was somewhat of an up and down kind of read for me.

after the first few chapters i was set on not liking the book, because i was annoyed that the premise is yet another story of a woman starting at less than zero and having to fight for even the tiniest of crumbs to get by, and i thought: why can't we just for once start from a point where female characters already have what they deserve and choose a different narrative?
however, i had no idea that mary anning is an actual historical figure whose life (or parts of it) are the basis for this story. knowing that, the narrative made much more sense to me.
overall, i liked the whole idea of fossils as carriers for magic and the fantastical spin on a historical era of scientific discovery versus religious beliefs. being a scientist myself (and a palaeontology enthusiast in my free time) i would've even liked for those parts of the story to be more extensive.
the parts about the societal and political consequences of this magic system were intriguing as well, but i feel like these two parts of the whole were not balanced in a satisfying way, because both sides felt too shallowly explored, which is totally fine as a casual read but unfortunately not more than that for me.
on top of that i'm a little torn about the end. on one hand, i like that it's not a classical happy end, but on the other hand, i am very dissatisfied with how things turn out for certain characters and the reasons behind that. as a standalone i just would have wanted a little more.

all in all it was a refreshing read, especially since the characters are actually fully grown adults and the magic system offers a cool blend of science and magic, which is right up my alley, and let's be honest, i love geeking out about fossils and wish i also had a pterodactyl familiar 😭

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Del Rey, Random House Worlds and Inklore for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Keila · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a unique premise that I grew to love! I love the worldbuilding that surrounded geomagic (and the other types of magic) in this version of London. The conflict Mary faces as she chases her dreams of becoming a geomagician is very layered and complex, which is something I very much appreciate. I'm glad that the story tackles themes like class struggle, gender discrimination and academic elitism even with all the magical things going on. Not to mention the yearning between Mary and Henry haha, though I would love for that to be mooooreee. The author only gave me crumbs!

I love how Mary went on from having a singular goal in mind (becoming a geomagician) to realizing that there's more to do than acheiving her dream.

I was also surprised by the presence of Christian theology in the mix, but it somehow worked with all the dinosaur and magic stuff, plus the debates that came along with it. If you guys learned about evolution and what science and faith/religion had to say about it in school, it was just like that in the book but with dinosaurs, and the nerdy part of me loved it. Ajax as Mary's companion was too cute! One could seriously hope nothing bad happens to him...

My only peeve was that the journey to the ending and the ending itself felt a little too rushed. It's already a long book but I believe the resolution could have benefitted for a few more pages, just so there aren't strings that are not tied up and us readers are not left hanging for more crumbs.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.

[tai ⋆☀︎. · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
Publication date: 31st March 2026
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
Review rate: 4.5/5
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Thank you Jennifer Mandula, Del Rey and Netgalley for eARC and the opportunity to read and review this title!

I loved how this book awakened my childhood dream of searching for fossils, which greatly contributed to the overall great vibe I had while reading. The magic system, which relies on fossils, was very unique and well thought out. I enjoyed discovering more about it with every page turned. I’ve seen many people describe this book as cosy fantasy, but for me it leaned much more toward historical fantasy, especially due to the importance of the political plot. Thanks to the author's writing style, the book was quick and pleasant to read.

The FMC had a few moments where I just sighed, shook my head, and moved on—but thankfully, those moments were rare. Ajax, however? Absolute MVP of this book. My precious baby. I desperately wish I could have one of my own now.

If you’re picking this book up expecting a “classic” romantasy, I’m sorry to disappoint: the romance is very much a background subplot (a second-chance romance, at that — which I’m personally not a big fan of).

[Brittany Kilinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the folks at Del Rey publishing for providing this ebook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!!
***

I didn't know Mary Anning was a historical figure until I read the acknowledgements. I am such a terrible feminist, history student and dinosaur/paleontology fan. Fortunately, this book helped me with that.
I loved the fantasy and the magic system is lovely. The romance was enthralling too, but my favorite relationship was between Mary and the wonderful pterodactyl Ajax. I also loved Lucy, Elizabeth and Buckland.
Definitely recommended if you like period pieces with a warm touch of cozy fantasy.

[christina]

A second chance romance with DINOSAURS I am so there

[A Mysterious Gabe Appears · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC!

This book really was a whirlwind and kept me on my toes.

Here are some highlights:
- Fossils
- Geologic history
- Social issues (politics, gender discrimination, theology, and science)
- Fantastic subplots (protests, magical violence, the Inquisition)
- Plot twists (a lot of them honestly)
- Second chance romance
- Forced proximity
- So much deception

Criticisms:
- Not enough build up towards the twist at the end
- Very minor historical inaccuracies

Despite some of my current criticisms, it's still earning a 5-star rating from me. It was so much fun reading about fossils in a world that depends on them. I loved the history. I loved all of the places this duology might go in a sequel. It was a truly fantastic read.

[badger baddie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF (thanks to netgalley for the ARC) because of some early issues with the main character. I don't mind an abrasive fmc, but I do mind a dumb one, and that's what I felt like I was getting here. No thanks.

[aishah]

⋆⭒˚｡⋆ ୭ | pre-read

another arc approved,will probably be getting to this soon

[Dotti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 stars

The Geomagician is a compelling historical fantasy novel centered around fossils. Our main character, Mary, grew up impoverished in a seaside town filled with fossils. Mary’s dream is to be a Scholar, but the Geomagical Society and its limitless coffers are closed to women. When Mary finds a pterodactyl egg that hatches in her hand, she uses the discovery as leverage to be presented to the society.

The story wove a complex web of relationships, and as an audience, it becomes very unclear who Mary should trust. Buckley, her mentor, could have presented her years ago but was too worried about protecting the status quo and his entrenched power; Henry, the childhood sweetheart who broke her heart, is a progressive who ambitions may leave her in the dust. Her childhood friends, Lucy and Edgar, have gotten involved with a reformers movement that seeks to upset the system, to varying degrees of belief. At various points in the story, Mary’s trust or distrust of any individual feels warranted. Mary is torn by her own self-preservation and the desire for something better in the world, and her friends push her in one way or another at various points. The story served as a good reflection on power and privilege.

The magic system in this book was well thought out and interesting. The story builds the levels of the magic well, starting simple and becoming more intricate as the story goes on. By the end, the magic system is somewhat complex and interesting, with small details in the beginning of the book becoming infinitely more important than we would have thought.

The sexism in this book was deeply triggering, and should have been discussed earlier. The depths of Mary’s poverty feel very realistic, especially given the entrenched nature of power, but the earliest chapters of the story were hard to get through. Mary is desperate and powerless in so many ways and the idea that she has multiple wealthy friends who don’t even give her the courtesy of a warm meal feels deeply upsetting. It really informed my own skepticism of the characters, so that when Mary begins to doubt one person or another, it feels earned. At one point at the end of the story, someone says that she “always has a room with them” and I wanted to throw my hands up and ask why they hadn’t bothered when she was starving herself to pay for her rent. I wish that the first chapters had toned down the poverty a little bit (just in the first few chapters!) to make the story more accessible. The author uses flashbacks throughout to explain certain circumstances, and some of the injustice of her situation might have felt less overwhelming had the story been spaced out.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable and thought provoking read. The themes of poverty and sexism were hard to get through, but needed. I’ve seen mention of this book being a cozy fantasy, and though I would generally agree with that assessment, I would also note the very serious themes that the story reflects upon. This wasn’t a hot chocolate read where her largest question is about the care of her pterodactyl; our main character has real issues that need to be addressed, both individually and systemically.

This book was provided to me by DelRey in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun and engaging read! The Victorian adjacent fantasy setting, the focus on a woman trying to succeed in a field dominated by men, and the political and adventurous tone reminded me of Marie Brennan’s Lady Trent series. (Which I am a big fan of!) But the style of this book is less formal and more conversational, and asks some very big questions with a deft hand.

Mary is a strong, interesting, character. Her drive and determination are compelling. She is stubborn and has a chip on her shoulder, and I found her both endearing and frustrating. I appreciate it when an author creates a character that has complexity, and Mary is very human and imperfect which makes her easy to root for. She is taken advantage of by many of the people closest to her, but none of those people are villains. They are complicated relationships. They change and develop as the story progresses, and as Mary grows in awareness and confidence.

The magic system is different and creative, and has political, economical, and religious repercussions. It raised interesting questions. What if magic is a consumable resource? That can be bought or sold for profit? How does magic fit into religion? What if the theology of it is a tool? What are the ethical ramifications of those things? Overall, a thought provoking and unique magic design that I enjoyed!

The writing style was warm and descriptive, and built the world and characters in a believable way. The first person perspective anchors the action of the plot solely to Mary’s view. First person POV is often hit or miss for me. Its success depends entirely on how engaging the viewpoint character is. It worked here, and I enjoyed seeing the story unfold through her eyes.

The romance is important to the plot, but this book is not a romance. In fact, the romantic interest was not as straightforward as I was expecting. His motives and behavior are questionable and unclear. His relationship with Mary is messy, full of history and misunderstanding and hurt. The process of growth for them is slow, and I appreciated that it took time. And the end result is more complicated than it initially appeared to be. This book takes your assumptions and goes a different direction.

The end succeeded in surprising me. I was not expecting the twist when it came. Looking back, the plot could have used a little more foreshadowing. I don’t think the twist was hinted at enough. However, it was definitely startling! The story as a whole is an interesting examination of science and religion, ambition and cowardice, among many other things. Not all of it addressed with subtlety, but I appreciated that it was being addressed at all. There are complicated questions raised, and Mary has to make some very tough calls. The conclusion avoids easy answers, and lets those complicated questions stay complicated, both in terms of personal relationships and in the bigger picture. Just a wonderful experience reading this! I highly recommend it.

[LadyoftheBlade (Britt) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of The Geomagician. This book was incredibly fascinating and actually prompted me to look-up the actual real-life Mary Anning. (I definitely recommend you do the same!)

The Geomagician is centered in a fictionalized version of the 1800s, in which everyone has a type of magic they can harness using something called a reliq. The most common type of reliq is ammonites and/or other fossils. This is how Mary Anning makes her living; by selling her fossil and shell finds to local tourists. Mary has her sights on becoming a Geomagician with the Geomagical Society of London. Unfortunately, it is an impossibility. Not due to her lack of wealth or education, but because she is a woman. Her dream changes to a more tangible reality when she finds (and subsequently) hatches a ptyerdactyl egg.

Upon her discovery, she is whisked away to London with her mentor (Buckland) and her best friend (Lucy). Mary's goal is to leverage her discovery of the ptyerdactyl (lovingly named Ajax) into becoming the first woman geomagician. However, it's not as simple as she hopes. Her goal becomes much more complicated when Henry Stanton (a man who broke her heart 15 years ago)comes back into the picture.

Henry has ambitions of his own. He has his eyes of becoming president of the Geomagical society. (The same position Buckland has promised to use to get Mary nominated into the society.) Mary has to choose whether she can trust Henry again or whether she is hearing up for heartbreak all over again.

I absolutely adore this novel. I did expect more dinosaurs going into it, but I was fascinated by the talk of fossils and archeology. I love how the author weaved in the real Mary Anning's life story into her novel. All of that being said, I was not prepared for how focused the plot was on the church and scripture. Theology (specifically Christianity) plays a huge role in the plot due to Ajax's discovery. I did not hate it, but I was definitely unprepared.

The novel is also heavily a political one. The subplot focuses on Lucy's efforts to help with reliq reform (and/or the abolishment), so that people can rely on their own magic. The subplot does eventually weave into the main plot. Honestly, I'm glad this is a duology because I'm interested to see the political plot be expanded upon.

That is not to say this isn't a satisfying stand alone. Frankly, it reads as a complete novel. I loved that Mary was an abrasive and flawed main character. It made her feel real. Her romance with Henry is fine. I don't think it made or broke the novel in any significant way. Alot of their issues could have been solved early on if they actually spoke.

Overall, I'm excited to see where the duology goes next. I hope you all are as excited to meet Ajax as I was!!

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Del Rey and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for this honest review.

In The Geomagician, fossil hunter Mary Anning is reimagined as... well, still a fossil hunter, but now in a historical fantasy world where fossils double as "reliqs," receptacles of stored magical power that are sold by the poor and bought by the rich. When Mary finds an ancient pterodactyl egg that miraculously hatches, she's thrust into the spotlight and may finally get her chance to join the all-male Society of Geomagicians... if she's willing to toe the theocratic party line and keep her mouth shut about both the political firestorm around her and her own burgeoning magical gifts.

There's a lot to like about The Geomagician (once you accept that it's fiction that reimagines Mary Anning from the ground up, not an attempt to represent real history at all.) Mary's divided loyalties to her friends, her mentor, and her ex-fiancé make for a compelling conflict as she navigates the complex politics of the world she's spent her whole life desperate to join. The themes of economic inequality were a very transparent allegory for debates about the US minimum wage, but I found I was willing to forgive the transparency of said allegory in light of how well-thought-out the world building was. The complex interaction of magic vs religion is a key element of any Victorian historical fantasy, and it was handled thoughtfully and interestingly here, with the theocratic suspicion of magic (inquisitors!) vs their begrudging need for it, and the rejection of scientific evidence in favor of more politically convenient religious explanations. It all felt very topical.

I also enjoyed the side characters, in particular how morally gray they were. Mary was surrounded by fascinating women—like her political radical (and queer!) activist best friend Lucy—and men with fluctuating, questionable motives—like her ex-fiancé Henry and beloved mentor Buckland. The story builds to a twisty climax and, ultimately, a complex ending that doesn't land on easy answers.

So I'd recommend this book to fans of nuance. It's significantly grittier and thornier than comp titles like the Emily Wilde series, and yet it's a similarly compelling story about an underestimated, academic woman of genius struggling to prove herself in a fascinating historical fantasy world. I'm glad I read this one!

[Chanté Dove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for access to an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review,
'The Geomagician' is a historical fantasy novel, based in regency era London, in a world where people have magic and are able to trap this magic in fossils or reliqs, which they can then sell to make money or use to perform magical acts.
This magic systems means that fossils are really important to society and the development of 'geomagic', thus our main character Mary Anning- named after the famous female archaeologist and palaeontologist- dedicates her life to finding quality fossils in order to sell them to the Geomagicians.
However, there is unrest in the world- revolutionaries feel that the reliq system is exploiting the poor and purely benefits the rich. Furthermore there is a lot of dissent amongst people about the nature of reliqs and geomagic, is it heretical or a miracle from God?

When Mary uncovers a pterodactyl fossil, and an egg that hatches into a young pterodactyl in her hands, this discoveries is sure to change the course of Mary's future and, unexpectededly, the future of the Geomagical Society.

I truly enjoyed this novel more than I expected. The magic system and premise of the novel felt really original to me and I deeply enjoyed the archaeological and theological aspects of the novel. You can really tell that the author spent a lot of time researching these topics and made some really interesting comments on religion along the way.

Mary is lovely main character- she is ambitious, clever and defying society in so many ways. At the same time she is so flawed, her ambition blinds her from the needs of others and she becomes so obsessed with reaching her goal that she forsakes the opportunities she has to help others in similar situations as she was.

I really cannot recommend this novel enough to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, complex and original magic systems in the setting of confounding political landscapes.